Catnip
by RukiaRocks
Summary: Karin was born with Catnip, a genetically injected mutation that allows the human body to aquire the physical attributes of an animal. The Church dominated the kingdom and declared all those with Catnip a sin. And to change this, Prince Kazune needed her.


Incident 1: As Unlucky as the Black Cat

It was then that I actually questioned my existence. Why am I here? Why was I born? Those are some of the big questions, right? Well I tend to be one who steers away from them. But for whatever reason, I keep being faced with those two questions; it's like life is obligating me to get them answered. Or perhaps it was fate. Fate that decided my fickle emotions must be resolved; fate that gave me this body which is a blemish upon god's holy place. I hope he will forgive me. No, please forgive me, my lord.

It was that accursed boy who sent my head into a spirally frenzy of uncertainty; it was he who made me fail in God's eye. He, was the one who did all of this..

With nothing left to do but slowly rot with his memory, I resorted to leaning over and throwing up. Because the realization of everything, of who I was, who he was, it was too much. I hate that boy.

_I hate you! I could've just lived happily with my faith at the pentacle of my being. Instead you left me what? Nothing. It was you who said everything would be alright; you who dragged me into this twisted family feud. I hate you! _I thought. But somewhere deep inside, I knew that I should've been thanking him. Because tears are spilling down my eyes right now..And it's taken me so long to realize. All this time...

_**Idiot.**_

_**

* * *

**_

I felt the cold limestone floor through the thin fabric of my dress and the red rug. Kneeling down before the cross, and gazing up at my holy home, I clapped my hands together and began to repent.

_God, please forgive me for being tainted by man. Please forgive my mother for making me unholy. Please forgive me for all my sins and always consider me in your heavenly kingdom. Amen._

Hoisting myself up with the help of a nearby church bench, I grabbed my mop and pale up against the other bench, and began to walk down the red carpeted row, toward the church's upstage. How nice would it be to walk down these aisles with a father tightly grasping my arm, for he feared the day for when I would wear white. Wouldn't it be great if there were people siting in these benches for my sake; if there were a man waiting for me at the end of the alter..

I laughed to myself, _Stupid. You don't have a father. And it's not like the house of the lord is open to people like you anyway._

As I mopped around the white floors of the alter, I couldn't help but gawk at the place's beauty. Even though I have been raised here, I still can't fathom it's luster. Red velvet cloth draping over the- Wait! Red velvet? Oh crap!

I picked my mop up where it was a slammed it into the pale with a huge splash. Rushing it over to the storage room, I zipped by Miyon. Tossing my cleaning utilize in the closet and zooming by her again, I managed to muster a, "Going to the shop!"

I ran past the sparkly-polished cherry blossom wood doors of the main Priestess' quarters and took a sharp turn at the left, side entrance to the church; there, a long hallway awaited.

In the dim light of this hall lined with doors, I recollected my first time in this hallway; the quarters of priestess apprentices. This hall was my new beginning, and nothing but bad things have happened to me since.

Catnip. The slang term for a genetic mutation that allows a human being to acquire the physical aspects of an animal. 58 years ago, a scientist suddenly dropped a test tube believed to contain nuclear gas,but it soon became clear to the whole world that this was nowhere near as dangerous. No. It was even more.

The woman who was exposed to the gas passed out and awoke with a cat's ears and tail. A revolutionary discovery had been made. Whatever the substance was, it mutated the hair genes of the scientist's house cat(which she had pet earlier that morning) with her own DNA. And not even a year later, scientists discovered that by mixing her DNA(dubbed Catnip) with that of any animal and inserting it into a fetus or living human, humans could acquire the physical attributes of animals.

Soon athletes would be caught for injecting the genes of Catnip in themselves to enhance their physic to that of an animal's. And even though it was not illegal for everyone else, Catnip itself seemed to be treated as a drug which was frowned upon by society. Mostly because your children would probably end up with a tail, but also because of the world's biggest leader, the Church. Finding Catnip the "pentacle of sin in this world", all children who where injected with Catnip as fetuses where soon outcasts in school, those who had injected themselves rose to power as gang leaders among other negative appearances because of their enhanced strengths. The world, because of this find, was split in two. It is now being discussed of whether the Catnip gene should become illegal or if those who are Catnips should be considered a completely different sentient species.

And while all that is happening in the world, everyone else and I feel the aftermath of every decision they make for us.

I stop at the end of the hall and force open the dusty black door that lead to the back of the church. Here is where the stone paved streets begin. The church is part of the royal buildings, so it's perfectly groomed, but everything else in the capital city is being overrun by vines slipping up the houses and dim street light with give the whole place an eery feeling at night.

I sprint down the street along the right side of buildings, stopping at the shopping center of conjoined buildings. Hearing the clack of a loose pave-stone that was in front of the third shop to the right, ah it was music to my ears. I was here. Stepping under the overhead and into the shade, I can just make out the red velvet butterfly cake, already covered in icing and sitting on the counter. Thank goodness, it didn't burn. But wait- I didn't take it out..So that means-!

She suddenly comes into view through the glass and upon catching my gaze, she bursts out the door and greets me in a suffocating hug. I receive it thankfully and wrap my arms around her as well. She still smells like chestnuts and pumpkin pie. Her board-flat, black hair was just that same as always too. Soft. Good, I'm glad my only friend hasn't changed.

"Himeka-chan, you're back already!" I say with a smile.

She pulls away and grins back, "I missed you so much!"

Inside the shop, in the kitchen, I sit at the hard wood table across from Himeka. She'd already washed all the pots I left out yesterday and hung them up perfectly. She's tightied up the whole kitchen to the point where even the green rug beneath the sink was sparkling. The cabinets on either side of the sink where pinned to the cracking left wall, but even they where swept clean of cobwebs. Himeka had it reversed._ I'm _supposed to do the cleaning to make it suitable for _her_ return..

"So how was it at the trading center?" I asked enthusiastically.

"Well I got us some honey, that'd be a treat with some chocolate covered bugs, right?" She said with a smile, grabbing a bag next to her feet and setting a glass jar on the table. It was practically overflowing with sparkling golden goo. She would never buy something as expensive as honey unless..

I frown snuck up on me, "You didn't find it..Did you?"

She stopped in mid-action toward her bag. Hiding her face in her hair, she nodded, "I'm sorry, Karin, I.."

And just as she was beginning to say sorry again, I leaned across the small table and pulled her into a hug. Her eyes, even though they where hidden from my view, where wide. I also knew, that right after, tears would fill them like always. And just the same, she buries her face in my chest.

"I'm sorry..I should've never..I could've given it to you.." Her voice seemed to give up and crack between every quick breath that came with her crying.

I stroked her hair a few times and shushed her, "It's alright."

As she continued to sob, I looked up out of her hair and recalled what brought this upon us. Under my dress, it swished unhappily by the remembrance of my past and of Himeka's.

Himeka looked up out of her hiccup fit and dried her eyes, she reached up for the top of my head and grabbed my bandana. She fidgeted with it a bit, moving the fabric left and right, grinding it against my ears. They twitched uncomfortably.

"You could almost see your ears through it. It's so crooked. You need to watch out, or people other than the priestesses could find out," She let her hands slide down through my bandana's two loose ribbons that hung from either side of my caramel colored hair.

"I'm sorry I'm so selfish.." She said while fiddling with the fabric of the white ribbon.

I smiled weakly, "Why don't we go dip some grasshoppers?"

She dries her eyes again and nods in agreement.

This shop is a quaint little sweet store that makes very unique dishes. Chocolate covered grasshoppers are our most popular sweet. Then we have red velvet cake with butterflies in them..Oh but my favorite is strawberry flavored mice. In this little shop, sweets are sold to satisfy the animal-like taste buds of any type of Catnip— no matter what species they are mixed with. Himeka and I came up with the idea and made this shop in order to pay off our debts to the church. Of course, now Himeka is just here for me because she's not a Catnip anymore.

Catnips have to pay for the expenses of living, even in the church. This is only a small price to pay for being a creature of god who was tainted by man. Himeka, like most Catnips, was injected with the Rabbit ,or Flaviussapia, Catnip gene while she was in the womb. But..Between the third and forth years of our time at the shop, she went to the trade center across the capital, like she always does, and found a cure. She instinctively took it for herself and escaped being a Catnip. And now she lives normally, but will never forgive herself for not giving the cure to me instead. I still don't know why she bothers with me. She can have any friends she wants..But she still sticks with a stray like me.

"Ah..Do you happen to know where my shop uniform is," I asked.

"Remember, you took it back to our quarters, did you forget it again?" Himeka questioned, peering over a kettle of bubbling chocolate. It's thick, chappy smell was almost nauseatingly sweet. I could smell it through the wall that divided the kitchen where Himeka was cooking and the main shop where I was busy chopping off grasshopper heads behind the counter. Shows how much of a nuisance my smelling ability was..

I slammed my knife down and decapitated a grasshopper with much more force than needed. My reflexes are pretty good so I managed to move my hand away before the knife came crashing down on top of it. Himeka always says that it's amazing and strange how I cut things because I give no regard to my body parts. And just as it seems I'm about to hit something, I move it out of the way.

"Oh snap," I yelled.

"It's Ok, if you're careful you won't get your miko outfit dirty. I'd offer you my extra shop outfit but it's too short to hid your-" She began.

And it's a good thing we installed that bell in our door. Because we would have never heard otherwise, and a customer may walk in on a conversation...

Himeka heard the bell too and we both greeted at the same time, "Welcome!" And then, we both simultaneously laughed.

But when I turned to face the customer, I was blown away. He couldn't see me because I was hidden behind all the sweets and the counter, but I definitely could. Bright, true blue eyes, clear and unrelentingly intense with curiosity. He seemed to be quite a bit taller than me and maybe even a foreigner. No one from this side of the capitol has brightly colored hair. Mines about the lightest it gets in this area..But his..His was beach blond! I've heard of that sandy color before with breeds of cat ..But this is the first time I've seen it as a hair color. It's so florescent and stunning. The way it was cut too, where his bangs hung jagged and so were the tips which stopped just above his shoulders with two fly strands poking out from beneath his black top hat. Everything screamed "cool guy alert" in my face.

He seemed like a merchant, the way he was dressed. Though he looked no older than my own age, 13, he looked so mature in his attire. A perfectly tailored black suit hemmed in gold lining. His undershirt was white and the red tie he wore was pulled down casually with the suit itself was unbuttoned.

With his hands in his pockets, he gazed around and took at step into the shop. Now, if he's a gentlemen he'll take off his hat..And..Wait! Rewind..No! Seriously? He's not taking his top hat off! Hold up, why am I examining this guy anyway?

I shake myself out of it when the boy began slowly, "Hello? Is anybody here?"

"Ah! I'll be there in just a minute," Himeka calls from the other room.

"It's Ok, Himeka, you just keep stirring the chocolate! I'll get this one," I assure her.

Closing the lid to the grasshopper jar, I set the knife down and wipe my hands out on my long apron, protecting my red miko skirt which are so very valuable.

"So, do you have something particular in mind," I asked.

"Huh?" He said. Ok, now he's getting less and less cool.

I sigh, pretending to be busy doing something by reaching up for a recipe book. He spots my hand, reaching up, over the counter and rushes over to help. He weaves through the stacks of vermin and dried reptiles, cherry flavorings and boxes of ingredients until he finally makes it to my side.

And then at that moment, everything froze.

Weird, I've never felt this before, have you? Some people call it sparks, right? It's an instant connection..Well this was definitely a spark..But it was an instant rejection. The minute his hand touched mine, in order to help me reach the book, we were face to face just for a moment. It was..Kinda embarrassing, but just as the scene was setting in and I could just make out the scent of caramel and cinnamon on him, the place where our hands touched sent a spin tingling shock through me and I immediately pulled away. I think that was the first time I've ever even touched at boy.

"Sorry for startling you," he began, gripping his hand tight and glancing down at it; he definitely felt it too..

"Um..Ah, no..Just.." Great, now I'm stumbling over my words..

"D-do you have a girlfriend?" I spit out impulsively.

He looked a me perplexed and began to say something when I stopped him with more of my nonsense.

"It's just..You smelled like caramel and..Well I was wondering if you where wearing cologne for a girlfriend of yours— because maybe she might have been a Catnip that you where getting..a.. present for..." I stopped myself, what sort of logic is that? No regular boy would have a Catnip as his girlfriend.

"Actually I just came because a friend told me some cool things were sold here.." He walks over and hands me the book, "Though a lot of girls swamp me every day, I don't have a girlfriend. I'm just here for myself."

Somehow I felt really..Peaceful at that moment. He seemed to pick up the conversation and get it moving in the right direction. Smooth with words..That's interesting.

I turn around and pick about all of the sweets, trying to keep occupied as to not let him see I was charmed.

"Well as you can see, this store is for Catnips' tastes..I doubt you'll find anything here especially enjoyable," It was hard to get those words out because I know now he's going to thank me for my troubles and leave. Because at that moment he'd nothing keeping him here.

He laughs to himself, "I am known to have a strange scent traded for strange tastes and-" He stops himself and a dead silence comes over us. Because now he's rounded the corner, and taken notice what I was wearing.

"You're a priestess," he half asked half said.

How was I supposed to respond to that? The conversation just went down the drain.  
"Yes, may god be with you,"..I could say that. But what if he's not religious! Gawh!

I start to fumble around and find the red velvet cake, fully chilled. I run over to the cabinet and take out a knife which I use to slice the cake. All the while, The boy's eyes are just watching me. I don't answer to his observance because I don't know how. Noticing this, he brings up something different.

"Why are you working here, miko," he asked.

"It's just a hobby..I.." I can't tell him I'm paying off my debts to the church. It swished under my skirt again, this is what happens when I get into tight situations.

I turn away from the cake and face him with a smile, "No offense, Mr., but with no disrespect intended, I don't wish to reveal my reasons," I said.

For a second, he's in a daze..Trying to make sense of my words. Then he goes into a frenzy-and I mean a complete aptitude change.

"How dare you not address royalty that way! Answer my questions when I says incompetent female wench!" He says, walking up so close to me that I have to back up against the counter.

In retaliation, I burst out loudly, "You sexist jerk! Don't you ever tell a girl how to treat you! And don't ever expect someone to treat you like you expect!.." My voice starts to dive down, "We're not equal in the eyes of the world..But it doesn't mean that you have to go along with putting others down.." What sort of argument was I stirring up anyways? That is a totally lame line and it didn't even make sense..

He didn't answer, but was surprised by my outburst. Suddenly, the boy's eyes darted to the cake and then back to me, his eyes slid down me, examining me.

When they came back up, he walked over to me again and drew close. He really needs to learn a thing or two about space. I look away from his intense gaze and try not to blush by how close he is.

He takes a whiff of me, what am I some sort of food dish? And just as I thought he was about to say something good and charming about my scent...

"...You smell of those vermin pests," came out of his mouth.

Disappointed, my ears wiggled in disagreement as I agitatedly grabbed the bread fan and whacked him in the back of the head with it. Clearly he didn't now how to address a lady, or a miko for that matter. Goodness he's so rude!

He holds his top hat down on his head and repositions it carefully, "What was that for," He winces.

"You idiot.." I mumble under my breath.

Then he begins to gaze up at my bandana, and somehow, I can see that look in his eye. Like he's solved a puzzle.

"Could it be that you're a.." he said, gazing at me relentlessly.

I began to panic..Did he notice? If he did then my life is over..I..

His eyes began to slide over to the right and gaze through me to the grasshoppers I had been chopping up earlier.

…..

…..

…..

"THE VERMINE! GET IT AWAY! GET IT AWAY!" Yet another mood swing. He began to run furiously, all over the room, crashing into all my boxes of ingredients, but as I tried to stop him...

Crashing down. I could feel it, the hard bang and the tingling sting as I hit the ground. I had reared back as he was recklessly attempting to grab my bandana in his fit..No matter what,_ I can't let anyone find out-_

My eyes opened wide as I saw my bandana on the ground beside me, and on the other side of it, sliding across the floor was a black top hat. Oh no..I've been found out...

And then I realized the position I was in. My skirt was scrunched up high to my thighs, my hands where up next to my face, and his arms and legs where spread around me. He was on his knees and holding himself up as to not fall over. And he seemed to snap back from his bug-frenzy because his eyes too, were widened in dismay.

Prickling through his hair where two perky, beach blond cat ears. Now I see, that hair color is only a cat coat! And he's always been a...And that's why he came to the shop..!

My caramel colored ears twitched in the cold air, and harmoniously, the boy and I both began, "You're a...Catnip?"

"Karin-chan, is everything alright?" Himeka began.

I began to panic..Someone had seen me..Someone..

"It's alright miss! A box fell over!" The boy reassured her.

In her slow voice Himeka said, "Ok..Then..."

Then, getting up off of me, the boy walked over and handed me my bandana, proceeding to grab his own hat and place it securely back on his head.

"Listen, about what you just saw," he began, but then I intervened.

"Pl-Please don't tell anyone! I'll do anything you ask! Just..My life is over if anyone knew that I'm a.."

The boy looked at me in dismay and then laughed to himself for a minute.

It's true. My mother gave birth to 7 boys before me. And feeling she would never get a girl, she injected her fetus with the Felineasapia Catnip, or the genes of a cat and Catnip's mutation, because that particular Catnip possesses an 80% chance of the child being a girl. When I was born, however, my mother immediately gave me away to the orphanage who could never find me new parents no matter what they tried. And so, at the age of 4, they resulted to giving me to the church. There, I was raised as a miko and my cat ears and tail where spiritually erased from this world. Every day I wore a bandana until people forgot I even had ears. I wore a long skirt so that they would never see my tail. It was all to fit in. I repent every day for having been born with the sins of an animal's facade. And everyday I clean the alters and work at this sweet shop hoping to get money to pay off the debt which I owe to the church for caring for me these past years...

I heard the bell jingle again, and just as I had slipped on my bandana, a man walked through the door..He was wearing a slick black suit with a bow tie, he bowed in the doorway and began slowly, "Kazune-sama, I am here to inform you that the priestesses have arrive at the mansion."

"Oh..That's right.." The boy began. Kazune was his name? Hmm..

"Thank you Q-Chan, but I think I've already found my unit," The boy began, drawing closer to me, with an uncomfortable blue stare. When I begin to back up and feel the rough facade of the cabinets as I lean up against them, he holds his hand up against the wall right beside my face. I start to get really flustered and can't help but feel self conscious for the red slipping up my face.

"Kazune-sama," the butler-guy asked halfheartedly.

"You said that you'd do anything, right," He says getting too close for comfort.

"Yeah.." I began, feeling my tail swish under my skirt and my grip on the back counter tighten. Underneath my bandana, my ears flatten from the pressure of his presence.

"Then become my storage unit," He began.

It felt like a huge rock just slammed down onto my head; totally ruined the moment!

Outraged, I gave him a second slap to the back of the head. He stumbles backward, pulling his hat up on top of his head and keeping it covered over his ears.

"What was that for," He repeats.

"Don't get so close to a girl..And then say something as stupid as that," I say, my heart still pacing fast from before.

"Well girls always say yes to whatever I ask when I get that close," He said casually.

Ah! Toying with girls' emotions that way!

"You idiot! How dare you do that to girls! H-how dare you do that to me!" I turn away, blushing again by the recollection of what just happened.

"My answer is no, anyway.." I began. I don't even know what being a "storage unit" is..But he needs to learn he can't always get what he wants from girls..Just by doing that.

"You...What?" He said in dismay.

"I am declining your offer," I began.

Suddenly, Himeka came through the doorway, out from the kitchen. She had two bottles of wine in her hands.

"Karin-chan, I seem to have gotten the wine mixed up..Can you smell it and tell me which one is for the chocolate?" She said in her usually slow voice.

Then, yet another mood swing from the boy. Something clicked and his eyes dimmed mischievously. As he turned back to me, his eyes where no longer curious, but hungry. For something..And definitely not chocolate cover grasshoppers.

He walked over and pinned me to the cabinets again, away from Himeka-chan's view.

"What are you.." I suddenly felt the chilling sensation again as he held my wrists up against the cabinet as well, I wince at the shocks. What was this feeling? Again it shocks me when we touch. But..The boy doesn't seem to notice..

So close to me that I could feel his red tie grazing up against my chest as he lean over. So close that I could smell the caramel and cinnamon scent on him again. His flush face looked like it was from drinking alcohol as a smile drew across his face. Could he be one of those people that has an extreme intolerance for alcohol?

"You're gonna decline my offer, huh?" He whispers to me.

Then, drawing closer to me, he whispers even softer, just as his nose was about to touch mine, "Well I don't care."

He hoists me up and suddenly slings me over his shoulder like I was a twig. Himeka gasps as she sees him saunter out the door with me flaring in his grasp. Outside, I don't know what happens, but I remember the bright glare of the sun..Then I went into some sort of dark carriage.. I can't remember after that because somewhere in between everything, I went out like a candle to the wind..

When I wake up..I don't possibly know where I am. The first think I see is a gold-crested ceiling that's intricately woven through with designs of metallic colors. Then my eyes trail down to where I'm laying, there's a huge window to the right that lets the early morning light shine through. The room is covered in cherry blossom wood floors, the stuff that symbolizes nobility. Just like the doors in the church, it lets everyone know that this building is owned by a noble. The room was beautifully furnished with a couch by the twin doors, a rug and a lamp with a night stand next to me, and more coffee tables, tea tables, chairs, rugs, lights, drapes..This room was huge! I think it even stepped down into an even wider living quarters! And what I was laying on was the only thing atop the highest level of the room, a large bed with gold sheets and a red comforter woven through with swirly. There were posts beside the bed with drapes hanging from each of them, my side was undone and so was the other side of the bed, closing off both viewings of the rest of the room except for what could be seen right in front me..Why is it draped in this pattern?

I sit up and gaze around everywhere. What is going on..I fidget in place, feeling the softness of my skin to itself. Then suddenly, I trailed over my being. Nothing at the shoulders..Neck...Chest..Hips..Further down..

I was naked!

I nearly jumped out of my skin when I saw him laying face down next to me. His face turned sideways and the sheets pulled down just above his hips. Blue eyes closed, but unmistakable bleach blond ears and hair still in view, messy and thin as he slept peacefully. I yelped up. It's..I..

I looked down at myself and quickly pulled the sheets up to my chest and let out a loud scream. The boy woke up with a start. But when he saw me, he yelled too. And then we both yelled at each other..And at ourselves.

"What are you doing in my bed?" He yelled.

"Kidnapper!" I exclaimed, "Rapist!"

"What are you talking about!" He questioned.

"I've failed in the eyes of god yet again..What if the church finds out and-" I began to panic.

The butler-guy suddenly appears in the open doorway (Weren't the doors closed just a few seconds ago?), "Kazune-sama, Karin-sama, there is no need to worry."

"Q-Chan.." The boy said.

"How does he know my name..And what's up with the 'sama'?" I ask.

The boy had no clothes for females, and since my clothes where being washed, I remained in the bed while he sat in the chair. Thankfully he wasn't naked too..His shirt was just off. I was given a cup of hot chocolate and the details of what happened were explained to me.

"Kazune-sama and Karin-sama are now bonded by the unit's lock," Q-Chan said. Yeah, I've learned his name.

"What? When did that happen?" The boy said, jumping up out of his seat.

"Yesterday, do you not remember? You had Karin-sama over your shoulder, you took her home and together the two of you created a unit's lock and key," Q-Chan explained.

"Hold up, what's going on?" I asked.

The boy excused Q-Chan and the other maids and he shut the doors to his room behind him.

"Are you familiar with the magic that is told of in fairy tales," He began.

"Yeah..Why?" I asked. Who wouldn't be familiar with it?

The boy walks over to a tea table and grabs a small cake with a little strawberry on top of it, walking over and sitting on the foot of the bed. I inch away nervously.

"Ok, so, you see this cake, right?" He began, holding the cake out for me to see.

"Yeah.." I confirmed.

"Watch it for me, will you?" He says, putting it down on the nightstand beside the lamp.

And so, I watched it. I watched the little cake like Alice did hers. Only this one I wasn't supposed to eat, I was suppose to watch it..Waiting for something to happen. Waiting..Waiting..

Poof!

"Wait..It's gone!" I say in dismay and beginning to get out of the bed.

I pointed to it as I completely emerged from the bed, "Hey Mr. Rapist, it's gone!"

The boy who was stuffing his face with food, almost spit it all out at the voice of what I said.

"I'm not a rapist.." he mumbles through a mouth full.

"Whatever..Just get over here," I urge.

"Umm..." He hesitated, eyes wide and fixed on me as the biscuit in his hand drops a top the rest of his food.

"What?" I began, gazing around me.

The boy walks over to his side of the bed and picks up the light blue shirt that went with his pants. He stuck it out in front of him and looked away, "Get dress, will you?"

I looked down and turn scarlet red, snatching away the shirt and hiding under the covers. I've definitely lost my purity..

"The Cake isn't gone.." He said after he recovered from his blush fit too.

"Huh?" I said, pecking my head through the top of his shirt and buttoning it up underneath the covers.

"Look," he says, walking up to the night stand and pinching the air.

"What are you trying to do now?" I sighed.

"Focus on what I'm holding!" He insisted impatiently.

And suddenly something clicked and it was like everything I saw had a blurry halo around it. And when I glanced at the boy's once empty hand, I saw a small blue fox, hanging by the scruff of its neck.

"What the-" I began, backing up against the mantle of the bed.

"This is a physical manifestation of my magic which I inserted into the cake, it's called a Kamiko which are spiritual beings summoned automatically following the release of a certain amount of magical energy, you follow?" He asked.

My head was spinning? Magical what? I've always heard of magic existing with the royal family but..I'd never really seen it..All I know is that there is a fox the size of a spoon in front of my eyes, it's blue, I was kidnapped, my purity was taken, and now I'm stuck talking to the guy who took it. All this stuff about magic..It was probably just tricks, right? A play of the eye.

"Ok, pretend I'm like a satellite," He said, "When I channel my energy through my central being, I'm able to relay signals from anywhere in space, to Earth. So think of those signals as spiritual beings. Humans like me trap and utilize these beings in the form of animals. Get my drift? "

I'm still in a daze, and I don't respond, so as he is about to say something again, I began slowly, "I get it.."

I suddenly jump up and send the covers everywhere, "AH I HAVE THE WORST LUCK EVER! I'M GETTING CAUGHT IN ONE OF THOSE STUPID MAGICAL THINGS THAT YOU ALWAYS READ ABOUT IN BOOKS! DAMN IT!" Hopefully my acting was good because I didn't believe for one second that this was magic. He was probably playing some sort of trick...But this is to stop him from babbling on about what I know isn't true.

I stop and hold my tongue, blessing myself for cursing and that my sins may be lifted.

"WHY WHY WHY DOES IT ALWAYS HAVE TO BE ME!" I exclaim, "FIRST I LOOSE MY PURITY AND-"

"You never lost that! So quit say that alright.." The boy exclaimed blushing, "We made a unit's lock which subsequently turns the body holy for a moment. When that happens, bodies neither exist or are nonexistent, and your clothes simply glided through your being when that happened to you. So it's no wonder the maids picked them up after you left them. And in your state of subconsciousness, you probably crawled over to my room after the lock was complete.."

I don't even care about the reasons, "So..You mean..I'm still...A virgin!" I say hopefully.

"Yes.." He says uncomfortably, and still flush. Obviously he didn't like this topic.

I cheer and jump up and down. Who cares about this magic crap! God has not forsaken me! He has saved me from the worst!

"I mean, who would want to sleep with a plain girl like you," He mumbles.

I freeze, insulted, getting up out of bed, I slap him in the back of the head (Will this become a habit?), "Well sorry Mr. hot stuff!"

"It's Kazune Kujyou! Quick making up random nicknames," He said.

I rear back on my heels, "That..Last name.." And suddenly everything seemed to make sense. Being part of the royal family..blessed with magic powers..So all of his claims..Everything was..And that mean that..I slapped a-

His ears flap down as he rubs the spot where I hit him. Standing up in full view, he brushes his hair away from his face and begins,

"Yeah I told you already, I'm a noble. The 3rd prince of Vernedette and the keeper of light magic."

My eyes widened, "So then the magic..And all of this..It's not just some sort of magic trick?"

"Of course it was. And you, regrettably, have been pulled into the magic business," He began pointing to me.

I looked at him curiously and tilted my head.

"As a storage unit, or Kamiko Keeper, you will receive all of the spiritual beings I have condensed into pure energy. They will be put in your body and stored until needed in battle," He explained, "Since you are a miko, you have been taught how to circulate your chakras so controlling spirit beings shouldn't be a problem," He said.

My eye shoot open and I quickly shake my head, "No way! Whatever this is..This mo-jo magic crap is none of my business!

He glares at me and then turns away, "I thought you'd say that.." He began.

"Then I guess I'll have to go and show this picture to the priestesses," He says, picking up and white card and playing with it in his hands. He twists it back so that I can make out the figures of myself and him sleeping in the bed together.

I jumped up and tried to get my hands around the photo, but his reflexes where far faster and he drew away and help the picture high up so that I couldn't reach it with my paw-like motions.

"Where did you get that!" I exclaim.

"Q-Chan took it last night, apparently even my drunken self can plan ahead," He laughed.

"So now you know what this means," He said, turning away while I continued to paw at the picture.

I brought my hand back in and snorted because I knew what was coming. My tail swished uncomfortably.

"I'll return this picture when you are done assisting me. Then we'll all forget about this incident and you can live on," He said.

"So basically...bribery.." I replied, swishing my tail and walking back to sit on the bed again.

I blink untrustingly at the boy and glaring at him I began slowly, "What makes you think I'd want to work with a rude snot nose prince like you?"

"Like you said," He began, flicking out the photo in between his two fingers, "You don't even have to want to, that's why It's a bribe."

I stare down at the sheets of the bed and think through everything..What about my debt..And Himeka...What about the shop?

No looking back at me and noticing my unhappy face, he tried to say something that might hint our working together may not be as bad as it seems by adding, "You don't smell like those vermin anymore."

Somehow, I took that as a complement and a slight pinkness drew across my face, "Yeah well you still smell the same...Like Caramel and Cinnamon..." I said, looking away, still slightly pink but also mad from my being forced into a partnership..

_Dear god, why did you stick me with this idiot, sexist, brat? Why couldn't you have just killed me? What is it that you're planning? Sometimes you're really hard to trust, you know. _

I knew that I had to have faith in God's will..So trying to lighten up the mood, I began slowly,"Ka-zu-ne..." I mumble, and the boy turns around, "Kazu-ne...Kazune! Hehe it sounds like a girl's name," I laugh.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

**Hey there Kamichama Karin fans! This is my first time writing to you! I just recently finished Kamichama Karin and designed this cute little story idea for your guys! Please be a hospitable audience and review! Because without at least 4 reviews, I won't continue this story! But anyways, I hope you guys liked the idea! I am practicing the characterization of this couple, but since I'm essentially a Bleach fanfic writer, it may take me a bit. Critics are much appreciated and complements even more so! You'll find that unless I have inspiration to propel forward in my writing, I don't really write often ^_^' So I encourage you, if you want to see more of this story, to review, review review!**

**I look forward to speaking to you next time,**

**Love ya,**

**~*RukiaRocks*~**

**P.S. Who noticed Karin and/or Kazune were Catnips before I said so?**

**P.P.S. Man, I can't stand how religious Karin is, anyone else?..I'm gonna get rid of that aspect as soon as the story allows me... **


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